A Performance Under the Stars
by Sakura Martinez
Summary: A Popolocrois One Shot. Set during Book II in Roma. Pietro is worried about the future, who else is there to give him a pep talk but KaislashNarcia. What's Pietro's idea of thanking her? A PietroNarcia coupling. R&R. COMPLETE


**A Popolocrois Fanfic**

**By Sakura Martinez (a.k.a Haru Glory)**

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**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Popolocrois or its characters. Popolocrois and all its trademarks are a product of agetec.

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**Author's Notes:**

I've just resumed playing the PSP version of this game and am currently on the Second Book of the story. The characters here might not have the exact personality of the characters in the game and I apologize for that beforehand.

Also, please note that this is a slight AUish, but if it would be in the same timeline as that of the game, then it would be around the second book, the night after Gon and Don arrived to Roma and after Pietro had saved Jilva from Steel Devil.

Another thing to note for is that I made this fic with having Narcia and Kai being sort of different persons despite the fact that they are really one person. Narcia is still Kai and Kai is still Narcia but their memories and how they refer to the other is different in this fanfic than from the PSP game.

This is my first attempt to write a one-shot fanfic from a game, although I am currently working on a .hack//G.U multi-chaptered fanfic.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.

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**A Performace Under the Stars**

**By: **

**Vianca Eunice M. Martinez**

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The sound of waves crashing to the harbor echoed throughout the Kingdom of Roma. The people of the said Kingdom were in quite a festive mood after their beloved, not to mention spoiled, princess, Jilva was returned to them after she was abducted by the Steel Devil.

It was all thanks to the Prince of Popolocrois, Pietro, who rushed to rescue her believing that her abduction and the abduction of the children of Popolocrois were connected. But as it turns out, the Steel Devil wasn't behind the kidnappings of the children.

With the King Waltz of Roma very thankful for her daughter's rescue, Pietro and his companion, the forest witch, Narcia, were offered more than food, shelter and a celebration on their honor, but also all the help that the Kingdom could offer the renowned hero of Popolocrois and his companion.

Having to go and venture to such a long distance just to rescue and learn more of the abductions have, of course, drained our heroes of their energy. What with not having much time to rest a long the way with Prince Pietro worrying about his younger sister who was also abducted. That was why both he and Narcia were very much pleased to have time to rest on such regal and comfortable rooms that was offered to them by the King.

One would have expected the guests of honor to be present at the banquet prepared for them, but with the Prince not into banquets and feasts in his honor and with Narcia preferring a simple 'Thank You', both were not present.

The cold and gentle breeze of Roma blew over the harbor, its smell mimicking that of the ocean that it had traversed. It blew the auburn colored hair of the Prince back and forth, swaying with the wind as it blew making it quite messy despite being pony-tailed.

In his eyes one could see a mixture of emotions swirling as he looked over at the distance. The moon shining brightly overhead enhanced his features. The golden circlet he wore on his forehead as sign of being accepted as the next-in-line to the throne glimmered with the moonlight. His cape, like his hair, danced with the wind revealing the dark-green color of his princely outfit and his worn-out armor.

He was worried for his sister's sake. Don and Gon, the twin knights of Popolocrois had been sent to him by Narcia's sister and fellow forest witch, Guilda, to inform him of the whereabouts of the circus, who was the one behind the abduction, and the children.

Cotrico Island. That was their next destination. The accursed island where he had to fought his father, the King of Popolocrois, once when darkness enveloped the said king.

The White Knight had already went on ahead to the island after hearing of what had transpired during his absence, and tomorrow, he and Narcia would follow him to save his sister and all the other children.

He smiled at the thought of the one who was constantly by his side.

Since he was young, ten to be exact, Narcia had accompanied him through all the difficult missions and adventures that he had to undergo.

She was there when he ventured into the unknown to save his mother who had been trapped in the Underworld whilst trying to protect the world.

She was there when during his trial, although she was not allowed inside the Valley of the Kings, he knew that she waited despite the cold weather outside the ruins for his safe return.

She was there when he had to fight against the Dark Lion King, his father, she saw the hurt in him with every time their blades clash. He knew that in one way or another, she acted as his support during that hard battle.

She was there when, with a heavy and remorseful heart, he ventured into the Land of the Dragons to ask for forgiveness after killing a Dragon, a kin of his mother's. She was the one who assured him that everything will turn out right in the end, and it did.

And now, she was once again with him on this brand new adventure.

He could not help but wonder if he had burdened her with how much he depended on her every time something comes up. And amidst the worries in his heart for his sister, he could not help but worry if something like what happened before, when she risked her life to save him and almost lost it, would happen again.

At that time, they knew of who their enemy was – the Ice Demon. But now, they knew as much that no simple circus could get away with kidnapping a dozen handful of children and get away with it as this one had done. He knew that someone powerful must be behind it. But who? Who would want children to suffer?

He clenched his fists. He certainly could not forgive anyone who harms innocent children, much less kidnap the Royal Princess, her dear sister.

But, if there was one thing the half-human, half-dragon Prince was not certain of, it was concerning his strength and ability to protect those whom he cared for – his friends and his family.

He sighed amidst the crashing of the waves and the sound of merriment emanating from the festivities inside the castle walls.

Not far in the distance, Narcia watched over the Prince. She was quite worried of him, and she knew not what she would do. Should she go over to him over at the harbor, or wait for his return to the castle?

She was still debating to herself as to what to do when she saw the Prince walk over to a crate and sat down on it. He was fumbling something from his pocket.

"I wonder what Pietro's doing." She wondered to herself.

It took a while for Pietro to take out what it was he was looking for – his Ocarina, and after finding it, the Prince immediately began to play.

Narcia had never heard Pietro play his Ocarina before since he never once indulged in doing so when one of their companions ask him to. The tune that came from his playing however, was quite solemn but at the same time it was relaxing.

They say that each melody has a story to tell; each melody has a voice that hopes to reach the ears of those who are able to hear it. For a Forest Witch like Narcia, being able to listen to these voices and to their stories was an easy feat.

Through the melody, Narcia understood how the Prince felt. She learned of his worries; of his anxieties; of his fears. For one as kindhearted as Pietro, Narcia was not surprised at some of his concerns for such concerns were typically of his character.

Deciding that Pietro needs someone to confine to, Narcia had no choice but to do so. She was his friend, after all. His companion.

Being a Forest Witch, she was not allowed to go near large bodies of water such as oceans, rivers, and lakes and so she had to do what she always does under such predicaments – she transformed into her 'other' self.

Normally, Forest Witches could not do something like that, but with the power of the magical Golden Key that Guilda lent her, she was able to transform into a human girl named, Kai.

Kai's and Narcia's personality are not alike despite being the same person. Each has their own set of memories. Each acts differently. Each has limitations.

Kai then walked towards where Pietro was playing. Noticing that he was not alone, Pietro stopped and looked behind him only to be greeted by Kai.

"So, this is where you were, Pietro." Kai said with a smile, a smile which Pietro notes she always wore. "I, or should I say Narcia, was wondering where you ran off to."

Pietro nodded. "Well, I'm not really into parties. I much prefer to be out here right now."

"That certainly wasn't something I'd expect coming from the great hero of Popolocrois." Kai said.

Pietro cringed. He did not like being called that since he believed that what he did, he did so because of his duty and because it was something he thought he should do – his Responsibility as he would say it.

Kai could not help but giggle at the sight of the Prince. "You really don't like being called that, do you?"

Pietro nodded. "Anyway, why were you…err…Narcia looking for me?"

"Well, you weren't in the party, so Narcia thought you went off to Cotrico by yourself." Came the reply. "Basically, she was just worried about you."

Pietro blushed a little, he was thankful though as the clouds covered the moon enough to hide his face. "She didn't have to worry about that."

Pietro then turned around to face the direction of Cotrico Island. A grim expression was etched on his face. Kai understood at once and said, "You're worried about the Princess, aren't you?"

Pietro nods. "Tomorrow, we'll be heading over to Cotrico Island. I'm not just worried of the status of my sister's well-being when we get there, but also of the one we are to face. We don't even have any idea if the Circus worked alone or in behalf of a more powerful person."

"That certainly doesn't sound like the Pietro I can recall from Narcia's memory nor from my memory over the times we ventured off together." Kai commented, then added. "No matter who the enemy is, or are, we always end up victorious anyways, right? So why worry?"

Silence was the Prince's answer to this. He wanted to say that he was not just worried for his sake. He wanted to say that he was not just worried for his sister's sake. He wanted to say that he was worried of Kai…of Narcia's case.

But he decided, it wasn't time yet. He didn't know how Narcia would accept his feelings or how Kai, her other self, would react to this.

"You shouldn't worry too much, Pietro." Kai said. "You should know by now that this is not your fight alone. There are many who supports you now, much more than during that time five years ago."

Pietro smiled. He thought of White Knight. He thought of Gami Gami Devil. He thought of Kimendoji. He even thought of Gabo, the child of the Earth Dragon whom he accidentally killed. He then thought of his family – His father and mother, the people of Popolocrois.

He then remembered all the others they have met during the vastness of their travels, and at that time, he realized how true Kai's words were.

"Thank You, Kai." Pietro said as he turned around and smiled at the robust girl. "I guess you are right."

Kai grinned. "Now, why don't you play something more lively with that instrument of yours. Narcia seems to think that it doesn't suit you to play a somber tune like the one you were playing minutes ago."

Pietro was surprised, he thought that Narcia did not hear him play. That Kai had been Kai all the while that she was searching.

"Sh-She heard that?" Pietro asked taken aback.

Kai nodded. "Why? Should she have not?"

Pietro shook his head. "No, of course that is not what I meant."

"Then perhaps you have no wish for her to hear you play anything?" Kai was guessing.

"I did not say that either!" Pietro said, shaking his head frantically. How he wished at that moment that Kai wasn't as forceful as she was. "It's just that…"

"Just that what?" Kai asked.

Pietro shook his head one last time, then said, "Forget about it. I'll just play another song, okay?"

"Okay," Kai said happily, then added, "but before you do, can we go some place else away from all these water? It's Narcia who wants to hear you play so badly, and you know how it is with Forest Witches and water."

Pietro nodded. "Okay."

The pair began to walk back towards the castle, but they stopped at the garden. After Pietro checked that there was nobody else around, he sat down and Kai reverted back into Narcia.

"I'm so sorry Pietro for whatever trouble Kai has caused you." Narcia frantically apologized.

Pietro raised his hand and said, "No need to apologize Narcia. Truth be told, I'm thankful to have talked with her and to be able to talk with you now."

"R-really?" the Forest Witch asked.

Pietro nodded. "She did ask me to do something for you, though."

This surprised Narcia even more. "Sh-she did? Please Prince Pietro, pay no mind to whatever it was."

"It's not such a big deal, Narcia." Pietro said with a smile. "She just asked me to play something with a happier tone to it for you."

"She did what?" Narcia asked in an almost shouting manner.

But before she could even react even more, Pietro had already began playing a different melody than that of his first song. As he played this melody, he thought to himself how much he wanted to play at his best for the person sitting next to him.

He poured his heart and soul to this performance. A performance he wanted to be a medium for thanking her.

As Narcia listened to the voices of the melody, she could not help but smile. She could hear it clearly, the voice of Pietro's heart, and she understood what he wanted to tell her.

In her mind, even as the dawn of a new battle draws near, she was still happy. Tomorrow, they would venture off into Cortico Island to save the children, they do not know what will happen there but even so, she told herself that she would think nothing of it for tonight. Because for tonight, She knew that she would never forget this performance. A performance from Pietro under the veil of the stars.

**The End**

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**Author's Post Notes:**

Well, that's that. My first Popolocrois fanfic, and probably my last fanfic for the game. Let's face it, the dialogue of Popolocrois for the PSP version is quite childish and it could do quite a lot more, having a lot of potential, if the game script could be revamped to an older audience and if the dialogue were to be cleaned.

The reason I wrote this was because I just felt to do so. Sort of like a spur-of-the-moment thing. Anyway, feel free to post your reviews. I may write another Popolocrois though, depending on how the ending plays out (for those who have finished the game, please don't spoil the ending to me, I'd really HATE that).

With that said, this is Sakura Martinez, saying PEACE and signing out! Don't forget to review!


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